The Learning Together project provided 23,000 out-of-school girls in Nepal’s most disadvantaged Terai region the opportunity to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills, valuable health knowledge, life skills, and transition to school. The vast majority of girls had never been to school before, and almost all were Muslim or Dalit, two of the most marginalized groups in Nepal. The project successfully supported 17,300 of these girls to join the formal education system, while 1,656 completed self-employment training.
The project was implemented in 4 core districts: Dhanusha, Mahotari, Sarlahi and Rautahat. The project districts have the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the country and child marriage is still common. Of the estimated 1.2 million out-of-school children, one quarter live in these four economically deprived districts (CBS 2011).
Learning assessments showed that girls made large learning gains over their baseline knowledge, and upon completion of non-formal programs and transition to school demonstrated reading and numeracy skills at or above those of their classmates who had never been out of school.
To increase the impact of these interventions on girls' lives, mothers were engaged as well: 4,220 completed their own non-formal education course; and 8,227 were engaged in inter-generational activities. In addition, the project tapped into local traditional Mithila arts culture, training nearly 5,000 women to create art in the traditional style to promote women’s empowerment and spread positive messages about education and the rights of women and girls.
The project worked with 300 schools to help them better meet the needs of girls who are entering the formal education system, including through improved school governance and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to allow students (especially older girls) to accelerate learning through self- and peer-study.
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